UNG Newsroom

UNG enrollment growth exceeds state average

(Nov. 7, 2014) The University of North Georgia (UNG) continues a trend of enrollment growth with 16,064 registered students for fall 2014, an increase of 3.9 percent over fall 2013. Fall 2014 enrollment in the University System of Georgia's (USG) 31 colleges and universities totaled 312,936 students, an increase of 1.1 percent over fall 2013.

UNG, created in January 2013 from the consolidation of Gainesville State College and North Georgia College & State University, became the sixth-largest public university in Georgia and is the only one of the four newly consolidated USG schools to achieve enrollment increases throughout consolidation. UNG also enrolled the largest number of new transfer students among the consolidated institutions.

"Through consistent enrollment growth, we continue to make progress toward our goals of increasing educational access and college completion in the region," UNG President Bonita C. Jacobs said. "The University of North Georgia combines a long-standing focus on academic excellence, student success and leadership development opportunities with a broad scope of degree programs and admission pathways through our four campuses."

UNG offers more than 100 programs of study, ranging from certificates and associate degrees through graduate programs. Students can begin an associate degree program or one of 53 bachelor's degree programs on any of UNG's four campuses in Cumming, Dahlonega, Gainesville, or Oconee County.

Only three of the 31 USG institutions had a higher percentage increase in enrollment than UNG: Georgia Gwinnett College (11.4 percent); Georgia Institute of Technology (7.6 percent); and Kennesaw State University (4.4 percent). UNG also has the second-largest freshman class, by classification, among the USG institutions, with 5,996 enrolled; Georgia Perimeter College has 10,955.

"Through initiatives to enroll new students and student success programs that focus on helping students persist to graduation, UNG continues to achieve increases in new student enrollment and retention rates," said Jennifer Chadwick, UNG's associate vice president for enrollment management.

This fall's modest enrollment increase reported by the USG reverses a two-year decline in student enrollment in the system, though 13 institutions experienced declines in enrollment.

"While our fall 2014 enrollment is encouraging, we still have much work ahead," said USG Chancellor Hank Huckaby. "We must stay focused on our Complete College Georgia initiative, continue to recruit and retain students, and fully support them through their completion of college."

The enrollment numbers were released in the system's "Fall 2014 Semester Enrollment Report," which breaks down enrollment by institution, class, race and ethnicity, in-state, out-of-state and international students, as well as gender and age.

"To help make college more accessible, we have expanded the ways to earn a degree, such as online courses and dual enrollment for high school students," Huckaby said. "We are seeing initial signs of progress with these initiatives in the 2014 fall semester enrollment."

Dual enrollment, which allows students to earn college credit while in high school, increased across the USG from 5,303 students in fall 2013 to 6,700 students in fall 2014, more than a 26 percent increase. The number of dual-enrolled high school students at UNG nearly doubled in a year, increasing from 240 in fall 2013 to 462 this fall – the fourth-highest total among all USG schools.